A Dark Knight's Wrath
by Kail Blade
Summary: (Spawn Themes) Xander is given a choice that he finds diffcult, but his friends ignore his plea for help. Angry, he accepts the offer and leaves for LA for a trip with Spike and a surprise passenger. XanderBuffyFaith. Rated for swearing and violence.


_Author's Note __7/22/04__: This story takes place somewhere in the fourth season. Oz and Willow have broken up, but Oz has decided to stay in this AU (Oz is cool) and has hooked up with non-furry Amy. Anya has not come back (Bitch), Dawn is here (Though Glory has not arrived in Sunnydale **yet**, and the 'Key' is unheard of), Buffy and Riley are happy together, as are __Willow__ and __Tara__. The Initiative is not here, as it was disbanded upon early finding and destruction of Adam. Or that's what everyone believes, anyway. By the way, I hate Riley. So should you. If you are stranger then me, and actually like that dork, I suggest you don't read this, because I am going to… Dispose of him. Very painfully. No idea when though, or who will participate in the fun._

_Author's Note __8/20/04__: I just made some changes and fixed some spelling mistakes while I was at it. Review and flame, I don't care which!_

**A Dark Knight's Wrath – An Offer You Can't Refuse…**

Xander sighed. This was bullshit. He'd been sitting in the Bronze for over an hour, and no one, repeat, NO **FUCKING** ONE, had showed up. Not Buffy, not Willow, not Oz, not Tara, not Amy, not even that prick Riley. He sighed again, glancing at his watch. Eleven fifteen. "Fuck it." He muttered, pissed off. This was important. Very important. The type of important that changed your life forever. And no one was here. Glancing at his watch again, he moodily thought back to earlier that day.

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"Willow!"

"Yeah?" Willow turned around to see Xander walk into the Uni cafe. Seated around her respectively were Buffy, Riley, Oz, Amy, and Tara, all looking refined and cool in a way only college students could, Willow thought approvingly, as she glanced over them. A clatter brought her attention back to Xander, who had stumbled over a chair, knocking it and himself to the ground. She sighed as her life long friend quickly picked himself up, told the chair to watch were it was going, and ambled over to their table, plonking himself on a chair next to Willow and Buffy. Willow felt her face heat up, as she could feel the amused stares of the other students in the cafe. "What do you want, Xander?" She gritted out, keeping her head low.

"Look, guys, there's something really important I've got to talk to you about-"

Buffy broke him off "Not here, Xand, we've all got classes soon." Xander looked slightly crestfallen, though he was unaware that neither Buffy nor Willow had any more classes that day. Feeling slightly guilty, Buffy hurriedly added to her refusal "Later at the Bronze, say ten-ish?" only slightly mollified, Xander nodded agreement, while stealing half of Willows salad bun, stuffing it into his mouth.

Willow cringed at the sight of him munching happily, oblivious to the sniggers and derisive stares from the other tables. "Yeah Xand, we'll meet up with you _later_. OK?" Xander glanced at Willow in surprise, getting the message, before waving goodbye to the others, and walking out, a slightly confused and deeply thoughtful look on his face.

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_'Now they've just blown me off! SHIT!_' Xander slammed the table in front of him, not noticing some dancers turning around to glare at him. He payed for his drink, and stalked out, a black mood descending on him. They thought so little of him, his so-called friends, that they completely ignored him when he asked them for help. Deciding to take a shortcut home, though not really watching where he was going, he crossed the street, entering one of the many cemeteries around Sunnydale. He walked, deep in thought about the chance that he had been offered. Since his 'friends' were not going to help him decide, he'd do it himself. The thought of asking Giles crossed his mind briefly, but he was not in the mood to ask anyone for help again. He would make this decision alone.

A sharp crack of a stick made him pause in his tracks; suddenly realising he was in a cemetery at night in Sunnydale with only one stake and the cross around his neck. His mouth running dry, he managed to whisper "And the Xan-man has done it yet _again_, two points for the idiots of America.", before the three hungry vampires dived out of the bush, roaring. One of them slams him into a tree. Xander managed to get in a right hook, which staggered the beast, before he rammed his stake straight into its vile heart with his left hand. Xander spun around and threw a combination of kicks, punches and stake-jabs at the other two before he finally managed to dust one. But as he turned to the last soulless beast, who had somehow managed to get behind him, a slam to the back of his head knocked him, half conscious, to the ground. "Ouch!" He managed to spit out, and then rolled over to face the vampire as it smirked evilly and bent down to bite Xanders neck. Luckily Xander at the last moment managed to kick the vamp between the legs, as well as slam his stake in its undead groin, causing the vamp to reel back clutching his private parts, howling to the moon. Xander stood up, and watched amused, as the vampire keeled over, whimpering pathetically. "You know, that hurt me almost as much as it hurt you." Xander winced. He stared at the vampire, who was still writhing on the ground, before he grinned "Actually..." Xander was cut off as he was tossed to the ground roughly. Xander turned, expecting to see yet another vampire, but only saw Buffy dusting the moaning vamp. Xand sighed in frustration, watching as Buffy turned back to him, recognising who it was.

He expected a hand up, and an apology for both standing him up and knocking him down, so he was completely surprised when Buffy stood over him, hands on hips in what Xander had come to recognise as the 'righteous anger of the slayer' stance, and started chewing him out. "Xander, what were you thinking?! _Were_ you thinking? You of all people should know better than being in a graveyard at night, especially without a cross and a stake? What the hell is your problem?"

Xander looked on in complete amazement, as Buffy was practically quivering with anger. "Good to see you too Buff. For your information I did have a stake, or haven't you noticed the other two dust piles? I was just about to finish off the last one before you showed up, or did you think that vamps roll around on the ground screaming in pain naturally? But anyway, I'm glad you made it. Want to get a drink? Oh, **wait**. No, you didn't make it to the Bronze." Xander returned resentfully.

Buffy groaned inwardly. She had completely forgotten about their meet up in the Bronze. That afternoon, Riley had taken her to the movies, and by the time they got out, she had a vague feeling she was supposed to be somewhere, incorrectly guessing it was on patrol. Outwardly she remained calm however. "So I forgot. I'm sorry. That doesn't mean you can decide to search the cemeteries for me just to-"

"Hold on," Xander interrupted, "you think I came through here to find you? You're sorely mistaken. I was taking a shortcut home, since a night at the Bronze turned out to be a no go." Xander clenched his teeth, trying to prevent himself from saying something he would really regret, and then got up and started to walk off.

Buffy was not to be put off however, and stopped him with a hand on his forearm. "Xander, listen to me," Xander turned and glared. Buffy took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and began "I know we've been growing apart..." Xander snorted, but Buffy continued, hoping to shock him "… But the fact is you endanger yourself and us!" Xander stepped back, shocked. Buffy felt her heart break at the look of pained betrayal on Xander's face, but she continued relentlessly, squashing her emotions "Xander, you have no skill, and sooner or later you're going to get someone killed. It would be best if you don't try and help-" She broke off as Xander, a tear slipping from his face, turned and bolted away from her. "Xander!" She yelled following a few steps before giving up. She and Willow had talked about Xander all last night, and had concluded that Xander could get hurt if he kept throwing himself into the fray. Buffy shuddered as she remembered that one time the Hellmouth had opened, and how thankful she was that Xander had stayed away. It was Willow's idea however, to drive Xander away from them, saying he was useless, ignoring him and the like. Hoping that it was the lesser of two evils. The others options of their idea had been mixed. Tara, Oz, and surprisingly, Spike, had been against their plan, while Amy and Riley had agreed with them. Unfortunately for the 'Against' team, Oz normally didn't speak unless physically forced too, Tara was to shy to argue, and Spike's reasons were unknown, and most likely not good. She watched Xanders fleeting form, a hint of a smile on her lips. Although it was probably wrong, it felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. One of them was at last free. Then she frowned. Xander had dusted two vampires, three if she hadn't jumped in, with only one stake. That was normally how many Riley took out a night, and he had a wider range of techno weaponry at his disposal, as well as at least three stakes, not to mention back up from her. Maybe Xander _could_ look after himself in a fight?

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Xander ran blindly before stopping, gasping beside a mausoleum, silent tears dropping from his face. '_Why don't they understand?_' his anguished mind asked, as he started to breathe deeper. His stomach wrenching in pain, he looked up, to see the moon a bloody crimson. It seemed to speak to him. A sudden calm dropped over him, and he realised his answer to the offer he had been given last night. The offer the others were too busy to help him with. Xander looked up, mentally opening the doors that had been shown to him, watching as clouds swirled and formed overhead at an unnatural rate, and heard the question once more.

"**THIS IS YOUR SECOND AND FINAL CHANCE, MORTAL. WILL YOU BE MY DARK CHAMPION?**"

Xander gathered his strength and shouted "YES!", and then screamed as bolts of blue and black lightning struck him as he spread arms wide in request, his clothes instantly burnt to ashes. He felt his body change, strengthen, and grow, and become something stronger than naturally possible. He watched in awe as a hard black substance covered his body, coming from inside of him, felt fear as the armour-like substance moved its way up, covering him, leaving only his head without it, shaking his head wildly as he felt the stuff cover it, unable to move his body. He watched as the world changed colour, showing not only vision, but heat and scent. The electric power slowly died down, and then finally ceased. The clouds above him swirled back into a natural pattern as Xander collapsed from exhaustion.

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He slowly stood up after a few hours of lying unconscious on the ground, feeling strength in his limbs that he had never felt before. His new black armour covered his entire body, the helmet eyes glowing gold with power. A tattered, unearthly midnight blue cape flew out behind him, flowing _through_ the trees without touching them, as if a strong, though unfelt, wind was playing on it. Chains snapped out of the armour, their arrow headed ends flying twenty feet away, before retracting back into the armour. He held his hands out in front of him, moving them in awe as he watched the armour move as if part of him. His mind shrieked from that possibility and away from the armour '_LET ME OUT!_' his mind screamed and fell to his knees in terror, as the armour silently retracted into him, leaving him cold and naked on the ground. Xander stood up nauseously, testing his feet. They no longer held the great strength, but he could walk. In a daze he began to walk in the direction of his house, before realising he was naked. Xander stopped, and calmed himself "Ok Alexander Harris, what now?" He muttered to himself.

"Now you die!" Xanders eyes opened wide in shock as ten vampires, game faces on, swaggered out in front of him. Xander stepped back, realising he had nowhere to go. Xander closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. He thought back to all the good times he had, with the gang, in the Bronze, with Cordelia. The bad times, much more numerous crept in. The times he'd been beaten by his father, and no one noticed, or cared. The time Cordy left him. The time Jesse had died. And now, the time all his friends had left him. Red hot rage ran though his veins, and he felt power running with it. Knowledge came with it. Smirking evilly, he opened his eyes. The lead vampire smirked. This kid would be tasty. What the hell had he been thinking, walking around naked? He shrugged. No matter. He looked like he would be an interesting addition to his growing vampire gang, so he decided to turn this oddly muscular nude kid. The Vampire gang leader stepped forward, before pausing. Something wasn't right. That was confirmed when he saw the kid open his eyes. They had been brown before, he was sure, but now they were a fiery gold. The kid stepped forward and fell into a loose fighting stance. "You got balls kid, but glowing eyes aren't gonna save your bare ass from us!" The vampire smirked, though his confidence was wavering.

"No," The kid replied, and his body changed into the hard armour "**But this** **will**." he stated, as the mask formed over his head. The vampire, frightened, but refusing to back down, jumped forward, catching a kick to the abdomen, which cracked his ribs, and flung him back twenty feet. The other vampires charged in, but four chains swiftly rapt around each of their bodies, twisting around their necks and pulling tight, effectively slicing the heads off each vampire, dusting them all. Xander glanced at the remaining vampire, who was trying to stand up, before leaping over twenty feet to land in front of it.

The former vampire gang leader was afraid. The… Thing approached him slowly, revelling in his power, the cape flying high. "Wh-wha-what are you?" The vampire spluttered, whose heart would have been thumping if it could still beat.

The thing crouched in front of him "**I…**" he stated, watching as his fist suddenly protruded multiple blades "**…am Spawn.**" driving his fist through the vampire's head, the blades piercing his skull and turning the bloodsucker to dust. Spawn stood, and started to walk towards his house, with a confident stride never before seen on him, as his mask retreated, revealing his face, his eyes back to their warm brown, and his cape vanishing as if it had never been. Xander smiled. The world had a new hero.

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The lit end of the cigarette was dangerously close to the fingers that held it, and a long unbroken ash was at the end, but the owner was not concerned about it. He shakily brought the cigarette to his mouth, not noticing its condition, and took a strong pull, burning his fingers. He however did not notice the pain, so shaken from the events in front of him. "Bloody Hell." Spike whispered, finally walking out of his crypt. He looked around, confirming that he didn't in fact have a vision or dream, before glancing off in the direction Spawn had taken. A huge smile broke out on Spike's face "Now this is ought to be fun!" He whooped. He turned, and walked back to his crypt, thinking happy thoughts about all the destruction the two of them could cause. "I always did like that boy." Spike muttered, as he flicked on a 'Passions' rerun.

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Xander looked at himself in the only full length mirror in the house, which was luckily in his bedroom/basement. He stood before it as naked as he was the day he was born, minus the blood and goo. He had always been fairly tall and broad shouldered, standing full height at 6"2 ½, but somehow over night he had grown another five inches, making him 6"7 ½, when at the age of twenty he was supposed to be already full grown. And that wasn't the only difference. Xander had also always been fairly strong, what with fighting demons and his various labour jobs, but he was pretty sure he hadn't had the bulging muscles yesterday morning that he seemed to have today. He also felt faster, though he hadn't been able to test that theory yet, and he had noticed he didn't feel clumsy and awkward any more. When had entered his parents house (He could never call this place his 'Home' when thinking to himself), which was filled with creaking floorboards and trash to trip over, he hadn't made a sound, and he hadn't slipped up and fallen over, or even come close to it. And when it came to Xander, he slipped over at least five times a day.

His physique wasn't the only change. His mind had changed a great deal as well. He could literally _feel_ the foreign knowledge in his head. None of it was the useless shit school had attempted to drive into his skull; rather it was useful things a warrior of the night needed to know to hunt his prey. Xander now knew hundreds of different fighting styles, none of which he had a name for, could track a single grain of salt in a river with his super sensitive senses, and he knew his mission. He blinked. What mission? Concentrating on his new found knowledge, he discovered what his mission was. It was kind of hard not to, since it was branded into the inside of his skull. The mission itself was simple.

**_PROTECT EARTH. DEFEAT, PREFERABLY KILL, ALL WANNABE WORLD DESTROYERS AND DEMONIC WORLD TYRANTS. HUNT DOWN AND DESTROY FULL DEMONS (DIFFENTLY EVIL ONES. GOOD ONES? WHO CARES?) AND HELL GODS. PISS OFF THE CHAMPIONS OF LIGHT (OPTIONAL… SADLY). DO A HEALTHY DOSE OF KILLING AND MAIMING EACH DAY (OR ATLEAST BLOOD SPILLING)._**

'_This is going to be…**Interesting**_'. The fighting evil demons thing he was going to do anyway and he could fit the killing thing into that. But to piss off the Champions of Light… That would be fun. He only knew two, and he'd always loved pissing off Captain Hair Gel, and Buffy wasn't exactly his favourite Slayer at the moment. Then he frowned as he realised he was supposed to be able to fight full demons, like what the Mayor ascended into, single-handedly. Somehow he knew he was a hell of a lot stronger then three Slayers combined, but he knew it would have taken an army of Slayers to kill the Mayor if explosives weren't used, and he highly doubted that any slayer would survive.

'_The armour,_' he realised '_the armour gave me enough strength to smash that vamps head in, and I did feel weak from the hangover I got from that… Lightning bolt thing last night… Maybe if I feel a 100% I will be strong enough to take down the big time Bad's._' Concentrating, he easily called his armour on.

Xander's armour felt a bit like leather and was skin tight, so it did nothing to hide his new bulging muscles. On the chest and face were white stylised **X **symbols. His 'belt' (It seemed pretty useless to Xander, since the armour was a one piece) was a loose thick chain with a steel skull 'buckle' (He tried to take it off, and found that he couldn't) that rested low on his hips. At the hips just above the chain belt, shoulders and on the back of his hands were large arrowheads that extended into movable chains, which he had used earlier to kill the vamps. He also had midnight blue wrist guards and boots that were thicker then the rest of his armour, not that he was complaining, since it added even more to the menacing look.

And last, and he hoped not the least, was his midnight blue cape. It had a high collar and was tattered around the bottom edges, and sometimes it reached his heels while other times it was twenty feet long and blew in an unfelt wind. Other times it wasn't even there. He was sure the cape was helpful in some way, but he couldn't figure out what yet.

One of the best things about his new suit, or so he thought, was that he could wear clothes underneath and they didn't affect the menacing look, and, more importantly, his clothes were still there when he withdrew his armour. He didn't want to lose his clothes if he had to shift in an emergency. **_Shift_**. That was a cool name for when is armour came on.

Xander grinned to himself as he looked through his clothes for something to wear. His dress sense seemed to have changed as well, since he was discarding Hawaiian shirts and shorts that would still fit, for a tight crimson t-shirt and a pair of black cargo pants that were two inches too short, but that was easily hidden by the black combat boots left over from that freaky Halloween a while ago. He stood in front of the mirror to make sure he looked good. The pants were a bit tight, but not enough to cause discomfort or look bad. "Damn. I actually look good for once." He turned around a bit to see if he had a nice butt, but then paused. '_How the hell can you tell if a guy has a nice arse?_'

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Buffy was worried. She had not seen Xander for the entire day. Maybe she had been a little harsh on him, she thought, but that was no reason to take off like that, without saying a word to anyone. She looked around angrily. All the Scooby's, minus Xander, were in the Magic Box. Using precious time finding him instead of more productive research. '_This is just so typical of Xander_.' Buffy thought, conveniently forgetting she was the one who drove him away.

It was Oz who decided to break the awkward silence, as strange as that may seem "Buff, maybe it wasn't such a good idea talking to Xan like that. I mean, he's a better fighter then me, and as far as I know there's been no talk about getting rid of me. The only good I can do is help track down vamps with my wolfy senses, and we hardly ever actually use them. Maybe we should apologize when he comes back." His suggest was met with odd looks and snorts of disbelief from Riley and Amy, but they otherwise kept silent.

Dawn was also worried. Xander was perhaps her best friend among the Scooby's, he and Spike were the only ones who treated her like an equal. Now he was missing. And Buffy didn't care. Sometimes Dawn felt like slapping her, but she never forgot that Buffy was the Slayer. She snorted, and crept silently out of the room. Maybe Spike knew what was going on.

Buffy sighed softly "Maybe your right. He _did_ take out two Vamps, three if I hadn't knocked him over. I mean, that last Vampire had a stake buried in his balls!" All the men winced at this. "Perhaps I should apologize to him if… _When_ he comes back."

"Of cause he'll be back Buffy! He knows that we will forgive him." Willow exclaimed. Everyone, except Riley, looked at her oddly. "What?"

Giles shook his head. "Willow, Xander has done nothing that he needs to apologize for. _We_ need to seek _his_ forgiveness."

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"Bugger it!" Spike rolled quickly out of the patch of sunlight, looking up as the door to his crypt was opened. He started to grin, but quickly suppressed it, remembering his idea, as he saw who was standing there, uncertainly, at the threshold. "Come in!" He invited with a mock bow. Spike turned his back, opened a bag of blood, stuck a straw through, and took a sip. "What brings you here?"

"Spike, I need your help."

"And why should I help you..." Spike stated, before whirling on the balls of his feet "…Spawn?"

"Damn, I didn't think it would get around that fast." Xander grumbled "How'd you know and does the Slayer know?"

"I saw your little performance last night, since it was practically on my door step. I don't think the Blonde one knows anything. Now I repeat, why should I help you, Spawn?" Spike was enjoying himself. Of course he was going to help the Whelp, but there was no need to tell him that.

Xander looked uncertain "Look Spike, I need your help. I've never asked before, and I'll probably never ask again."

Spike shrugged "OK, fire away."

Xander was more than a little suspicious about Spike's sudden complacency, but he couldn't worry about that now. "I need answers". Spike shrugged, and melodramatically gestured for him to go ahead. "What am I?" Xander asked firmly.

Spike sighed, expelling unnecessary air, before taking a drag on a cigarette. "You are a Hell Spawn." Xander reeled back in horror. Spike realising his mistake hastened to reassure him "No, no, no, not as in _Spawn of Hell_." Spike paused, thinking as Xander looked up hopefully, "Well, actually, yes, as in Spawn of Hell." Xander looked even more horrified, started to move around wildly. Xander was unaware that his eyes had become gold and fiery. Spike noticed however, and hurried his explanation. "You're just a person who's been granted with the strength and power of Hell. All for the price of leading Hell's army when the time comes. Lucky sod." Xander had not calmed, and grabbed Spike by his shirt.

"Why me?" He asked, not noticing in his agitation that he was holding Spike up in the air with one armoured hand.

Spike looked on in slight worry he noticed that Xander's body had become armoured, and a golden flame like substance had began trickling from his fiery eyes. "I don't know why he chose you," Spike began "But you accepted his offer." Xander, realising that this was what his reward was, let go of Spike, who landed gracefully on his feet. Xander's armour had, to Spike's relief, retracted. His eyes however remained flaming gold. Xander thought hard about what he should ask next.

"How do you know what I am?" Xander asked.

Spike shrugged "Back in 1843 I met a feller like you in Prague. He was on about how he was..." Spike's voice deepened dramatically "_'Chosen to lead the army's of hell in a glorious battle of Armageddon'_" Spike shrugged "Silly bugger got himself ripped to pieces in a mob. Me and Dru only just got away."

Xander nodded, processing that. "Am I evil?"

Spike grinned "Quick answer? Yes" Xander groaned. "But…" Spike said, "… The long answer is that you're still you." Xander looked even more confused. Spike looked exasperated "I don't get you lot, you've been fighting evil for the past _four years_ and you've got to ask me if you're evil" Xander still looked confused. Spike closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. "Look, mate," Spike said in a gentle, patronising voice, "Do you want to rip the head off the next person you see?"

Xander thought for a second "Err, does Riley count?"

"Of course not. Only those lady-friends of yours, minus the 'Bit, don't want to decapitate that prick."

"Then no."

"Well then, you're not evil." Spike announced. Xander nodded in vigorous agreement. His eyes stopped glowing, and returned to brown as he calmed. He thought again.

"You said something about leading an army. All I was asked was to be a 'Dark Champion'. And something about killing Hell Gods and full Demons, but that part comes with all this fighting stuff that's now in my head." Xander shook his head "I also get the feeling that I was only given the choice because who ever gave me this power _knew_ he wouldn't be able to control me, but what kind of crazy motherfucker does that?"

Spike nodded his head thoughtfully "I heard about something like this. That 'crazy motherfucker' who gave you your powers is Satan. Rumour has it that guy gives a 'White Knight' of Earth dark powers every ten thousand or so years, so that he can prevent other Hell Gods and such from taking Earth before he can. Bloody smart move if you ask me. It also means Satan's not going to move in on Earth for a few hundred years. Which I suppose is good, since Satan doesn't accept Vampires in his army that are less than four hundred years old. Well, it's good for me." Spike glanced at Xander's attire. "About bloody time you started dressing properly. I was starting to think you were a lost cause. I take it that this is part of the Spawn package?"

Xander glanced down at himself as well. "Yeah. I've shot up five inches, gained a _lot_ of muscle, and my senses are going crazy. I suddenly appreciate personal hygiene a lot more. Bad news is these are the only decent clothes I own. I would buy some more, but I plan to leave town for a bit, you know, piss off the Slayer a bit. It _is_ in the job description, you know."

"Really? I'm liking this Spawn business more by the second. I think I'll go along with you. It'd piss the Short One off even more if she knew you hanged around a Big Bad like me by choice."

"Okay, I'll pick you up later then, Spike. Thanks" Spike nodded.

"Xander?" A soft, feminie voice asked from the doorway.

Xander turned around, recognising the voice. "Dawnie?" A squeal was the only warning he got before being hit by the weight of a relieved teenager. "_Oomph!_" Was all he managed to get out as Dawn attempted to squeeze the life out of him. '_Thank you super strength for keeping this hug from killing me._' "Okay Dawnster, you can let me go now." Xander grunted, finding it hard to breathe. Strength seemed to be a gene thing in Summers women, Xander thought dryly as Dawn reluctantly released him.

"Whatareyoudoinghere?We'vebeensoworriedwhydidn'tyoucallortellanyonewhereyouweregoing?AndwhyareyouherewithSpike?" Dawn took a deep breath, preparing to start again.

Xander, well versed in babble after growing up with Willow, had waited patiently until she took a breath, before cutting in "To answer your questions," Xander took a deep breath "IcametoseeSpikeIdin'tthinkIhadtocheckineveryfiveminutesandIneededtoaskSpikeforsomething." Dawn giggled, before catching herself, and gazed haughtily at Xander, who mimed her expression melodramatically, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. Xander smiled and walked, with an arm around Dawn's waist, outside. He paused at the door, and glanced back. "Back soon, Spike." Spike nodded, before returning to watching the TV. Dawn bounced happily by his side as they walked back towards the Magic Box. He grinned at her before looking up. High noon. Xander sighed. Time to face the Gang. He just hoped that they didn't piss him off enough for him to go all 'Spawny' on their asses.

"Xander?"

Xander broke out of his pleasant daydream of ripping Riley's arm off and shoving it up his ass. "Yeah?"

Dawn looked up at him "Who's Spawn?"

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Deep in the pits of hell, at the seventh layer, in a fiery chamber, a discussion between a short fat clown, and a large shadow was taking place.

"Boss, I don't get it. I mean, why turn that kid into a Hell Spawn? He never was a bad guy, why would he start now? The kid is gonna use his power for..." At this, the mutated Clown's lips curled up in disgust "..._Good_." He spat the word out. The shadow did not answer. Oblivious, the Clown rambled on "And it's not like we're ready for the End of Days just yet, I mean hey, I'd like to take over the Earth as much as the next evil Clown, but jeeze. If anything, we've worse off now." The silence was ominous. Sensing that perhaps his master was not in the mood to talk, the Clown tried to back out of the chamber "Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing, hey! Look at the time, I gotta run, people to torture and all..." His rambling was cut short by booming laughter.

The shadow turned to face the Clown, who flinched instinctively "**Little Clown, I have no intention to start the End of Days for at least another four hundred years. And even if I was, he would not lead my army in the destruction of Earth. I have given him the Champion armour, not the Generals.**"

Clown looked at the shadow in surprise "What?! But…That means we have no chance to turn him evil!"

Booming laughter echoed through the chamber again, and despite himself the Clown shivered at the pure evil of it. The shadow paused for a second, contemplating something held in his clawed hand. "**I have no intention in even trying to. Yet. It has come to my attention that a number of other Hell Gods are attempting to take Earth for themselves, and some of them may even succeed. I can not interfere… But if I have a soldier out there, who I obviously have no control over, attacking and stopping others from destroying Earth… I can not be held responsible.**" The Clown watched in fascinated fear, as the Shadow carefully placed the thing on the ground, a distinctive white shape in the black background. "**Once he has dealt with my rivals we may approach him in joining us. In the mean time…**" The shadow continued, pausing a moment to wave his hand, causing the white object to slide across the ground to the Clown, growing as it came closer. "**… It will be amusing watching the Knight battle Gods and pure Demons for his life and those of his 'friends'**"

The Clown watched as the growing White Knight chess piece sliding towards him turned black. "Not just any Knight, Boss," The clown murmured, "but the Dark Knight himself."

_End Author's Note __7/22/04__: And that ends the first chapter. This story may seem similar to another story. I took the idea since it hadn't been updated in over 2 years. Anyway, I hoped you like this chapter, and will read the next one._

_Until Next Time,_

**_Kail Blade_**


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